10 Best TV Shows of 2017

1. Big Little Lies (HBO)

Murder. Intrigue. Reese Witherspoon in a sassy role she was born to play. The series is an adaptation of the Liane Moriarty novel, a mystery that weaves together the lives of multiple women and delves into serious issues like domestic violence, PTSD, and classroom bullying. With stellar performances by Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, and Alexander Skarsgård, the show was a huge hit at the Emmys. Though it was supposed to be a one-off miniseries, HBO has greenlighted a second season.

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2. Riverdale (The CW)

The CW

Let's be honest: season 2 hasn't been great. But there's still hope the show will turn itself around — and regardless, the first season, which premiered earlier this year, was delicious.

3. Queen Sugar (OWN)

OWN

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The show, which follows the three Bordelon siblings as they adjust to life as the new owners of their late father's Louisiana sugarcane farm, got even richer and more nuanced in its second season. Ava DuVernay: Queen Sugar creator, or just plain Queen?

4. 13 Reasons Why (Netflix)

Netflix

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Based on the YA novel by Jay Asher, the series tells the story of Hannah, a high-school student who dies by suicide and leaves behind 13 tapes, each assigned to a peer (and one adult) who she says contributed to her death. The tapes get passed from person to person, starting with a boy who spread a salacious rumor about Hannah and ending with a guidance counselor who didn't hear her plea for help. It's not an easy show to recommend (nor is it guaranteed to sit well with you), but it made considerable waves this year for being thought-provoking television. Like Big Little Lies, the story is going to continue beyond its original source material, with a second season coming in 2018.

5. The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

Hulu

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Although the show went downhill after its first three episodes (which were spectacular), it was an overall must-watch adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, with stunning performances by Elisabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, and Yvonne Strahovski. That said, if the show's second season, which premieres in April 2018, doesn't correct its pacing problems and infuriatingly colorblind treatment of race, it'll suffer a particularly rough sophomore slump.

6. Jane the Virgin (The CW)

The CW

This show is never not a delight. Period. #TeamRafael.

7. Search Party (TBS)

TBS

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The second season picked up where the first left off, following the group in the aftermath of Keith's murder. If you thought the plot couldn't get any darker, weirder, or more suspenseful than it was in the first season, you were wrong.

8. Insecure (HBO)

HBO

Oh, did you want Issa and Lawrence to get back together? Too bad. Star and creator Issa Rae gave you something better: a nuanced look at Issa's life as she struggled to pick up the pieces.

9. This Is Us (NBC)

NBC

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Just when you thought you were done crying, This Is Us returned for a second season. Randall became a foster dad, Kate had a miscarriage, Kevin struggled with addiction — and the season isn't even over yet. Stock up on tissues for 2018.

10. Catastrophe (Amazon)

Amazon Studios

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Wow, wow, wow. Did you see that season-3 kicker coming? This show has always felt so realistic, but its handling of Rob's relapse — the way he hid it, the way it revealed itself with a bang — was next level.

A version of this post originally ran in April 2017. It has been updated throughout.

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